Folding container for purses or handbags



Jan. 1, 1952 o. M. GUFFEY FOLDING CONTAINER FOR PURSES OR HANDBAGS Filed May 9, 1949 INVENTOR. 0/0 2 M 64/29? BY Patented Jan. 1, 1952 OFFICE FOLDING CONTAINER FOR PURSES OR HANDBAGS Olive M. Gufiey, Kansas City, Mo. Application May 9, 1949, Serial No. 92,104 I 2 Claims. (Cl. 150-28) The present invention relates to purse or holder devices, and particularly to holders or folders adapted to contain miscellaneous personal items, such as kerchiefs, gloves and the like and designed to be carried either separately or in a purse or handbag accompanying the person.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to devise a convenient and compact case or folder device formed with a suitable number of separate compartments for receiving and holding separate personal articles and paper items, etc. in neat, compact and readily accessible relation, and in a form convenient either for separate use or to be placed in a purse or other receptacle such as a handbag carried by the person.

As one of the preferred forms of the construction, the improved holder or folder device is designed to be constructed of a plastic type of material, which may be more or less transparent to reveal the contents for inspection, and having also resilient gripping properties for embracing and holding the contents in a smooth and tidy state.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a holder or case of the character described in which provision may also be made for marginal edges of such size as to enclose all the compartments of the case completely, whether only partially or completely filled with the articles to be placedtherein.

With the foregoing general objects in view the invention will now'be described in detail by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating suitable forms of embodiment of the proposed features of improvement, after which those features and combinations deemed to be novel and patentable will be particularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a side view illustrating a form of at one end thereof broken away to disclose the interior construction;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof, representing a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view representing a slightly modified form of the construction; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating a modified form of embodiment of the invention, as comprising a folding case with an interior unit embodying the main or characteristic feature as regards the plurality of holding and gripping compartments and being hingedly mounted therein and enclosed by said folding case.

.The annoyance and tedium experienced in connection with the necessity of carrying and handling all the various personal items which are ordinarily carried about in ones handbag or purse is a well known handicap due to the difiiculty of keeping said items all in order and available at any moments notice, as well as preserving Having reference now to the accompanying drawing, and particularly to Figures '1 and 2, one form of my improved device is illustrated as comilarly folded interior sheets 3, the plurality of 'ing, or the like, thus providing a plurality of article-receiving compartments l2 which are all open at the opposite side of the folder or holder for accommodating itself to said contents, also include some stiffness as Well as resiliency adapted to exert a yielding gripping action upon said contents whereby the latter are held in place, or prevented from creeping or sagging and lumping curved and conforming character and hence gripping action of the material upon the articles or contents of the compartments will be evident from the cross-sectional view of the device shown in Figure 2.

Figure 3 of the drawing illustrates a modified feature of the construction, in which the margins of the outer sheet '1 are formed with thickened edges or ridges 1 adapted to prevent en tire collapsing of these marginal portions of the outer sheet of the holder device. The purpose of such modified form of the device is to provide a slightly more firm or rigid construction as well as a definite and somewhat roomier interior space for the articles at the months or entrances into the several compartments 12.

As already indicated, the material forming the sheets 1 and 8 may be of a more or less transparent character; and if desired can also be of any particular color pattern, or fanciful design, which may be selected for harmonizing with the color scheme of the costume worn by the individual person.

A further modified form of embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 4, in which the outer enclosure takes the form of foldable casing members preferably composed of oblong frames 26 with outer face panels 28, of suitable plastic material, and hinged together as indicated at 36 and provided with conventional fastening means 32 for latching purposes. In this modified form the multiple compartment structure is pro vided as an interior unit mounted on a hinge axis as connected with the fold lines in of the folded sheets 8 and pivotally mounted in suitable bracket elements 36 at opposite corners of one of said frames 2'8. Thus this modified form of the dc vice provides a neat and compact folding holder having the comparatively rigidmarginal structure along the lines of the modification illustrated in Figure 3, and in such compact form that the same may be either carried separately from the purse or bag or stored therein if desired, as will be readily understood.

Preferably a band or retaining strip 38 is atch d l ngthwise of the fielding sec ion 26-28 carrying the interior compartment unit, as by having the ends of said band or strip 38 secured to the ends of said section behind or beneath said hinged unit, thus permitting articles to be conveniently tucked beneath said strip or band at the bottom of the section and also providing additional support for bracing said interior 0.0mpartment unit as the latter becomes gradually filled with the articles stored therein.

It will therefore be apparent from the foregoing that 1 have provided an improved and highly efficient folding container, of the etui type,

for use either separately or independently of the usual form of purse or handbag, and adapted to keep personal articles in a neat and tidy and unrumpled condition, as well as conveniently accessible for ready use; and while I have illustrated and described what I regard as preferred forms or types of construction adapted for the most desirable or preferred forms of embodiment of the proposed features of improvement, I nevertheless desire to be understood as expressly reserving the right to whatever changes or modifications may fairly be deemed to fall within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A folding container for purses or handbags comprising, a plurality of sheets of resiliently flexible gripping material folded and secured together along an intermediate fold line to provide a plurality of article-receiving compartments and adapted to hold articles by a resheet of said material forming a closure for the remaining sheets and the compartments formed thereby and being provided with clasp means for securing the container in folded and closed relation.

2. A multiple-compartment container device adapted to be removably inserted in purses or handbags and comprising a plurality of sheets of resiliently flexible plastic gripping material folded and secured together along a median fold line and thereby providing a plurality of article-receiving compartments adapted to clasp articles by aresilient gripping action and to retain the same in a smooth and unrumpled condition within said compartments.

OLIVE M. GUFFEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

